Unit Six: Canada Matures: Growth in the Post-War Period (1945-1970) 6.2 Political changes: role of political leaders, civil rights, Aboriginal rights, women s rights, New social programs
Governing the nation Prime Ministers of the 1950s-1960s
Louis St. Laurent (1948-1957)
Louis St. Laurent (1948-1957) Known as Uncle Louis for his kindly and gentle nature Believed postwar prosperity could unite Canada. Promoted the development of natural resources in Canada (oil, potash, nickel, iron ore, etc.) Began construction of the Trans-Canada Highway and the St. Lawrence Seaway
Louis St. Laurent (1948-1957) Helped facilitate Newfoundland joining Confederation in 1949. See backgrounder handout titled: Brief Overview of Newfoundland and Labrador s Entry into Confederation
John Diefenbaker (1957-1963)
John Diefenbaker (1957-1963 First Progressive Conservative PM since 1935. Won a huge majority election victory in 1958. Known as the Chief, Diefenbaker worked towards greater prosperity for all Canadians, some of whom had not benefitted from the postwar boom
John Diefenbaker (1957-1963) Championed development of resources in Northern Canada. Introduced the Canadian Bill of Rights in 1960. He was controversial for his opposition to American investment in Canada and his policies on defence (ie; Avro Arrow and Bomarc missles)
Lester B. Pearson (1963-1968)
Lester B. Pearson (1963-1968) Known for his work in diplomacy and for winning the Nobel Peace prize for establishing Peacekeeping, Pearson was an a soft spoken leader. Tried to improve French-English Relations with a Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism. Worked to improve Federal-Provincial relations with a new funding arrangement.
Lester B. Pearson (1963-1968) Best known for the introduction of nationally funded Medicare and the Canada Pension Plan for senior citizens.
Pierre Elliott Trudeau (1968-1979, 1980-1984)
Pierre Elliott Trudeau (1968-1979, 1980-1984) Swept to power by a tide of euphoric optimism know as Trudeaumania. Had overhauled Canada penal and divorce system as Minister of Justice prior to becoming P.M. Campaigned on the idea of a just society for all Canadians. Worked had to make Quebec like a welcome partner in Canada but took a hard line in denying Québec a special status in Confederation.
The Rights of the People Advances in Civil Rights Civil rights legislation (see fig. 7.6a) was intended to fight discrimination based on colour, religion and ethnic background Enforcement was a problem. Ontario created a Human Rights Commission to investigate complaints in 1961
The Rights of the People Native Rights Aboriginal Canadians earned less money and had worse living conditions than other Canadians, which resulted in lower health standards Some changes were made to the Indian Act in 1951, allowing more aboriginal rights
Advances in Civil Rights Native Rights PM Trudeau wanted to eliminate the special status aboriginals had, and give them the same rights as other Canadians. Native leaders opposed this; they wanted self-government. As in fig. 7.6d, all aboriginal Canadians got the right to vote by 1960.
The Rights of the People Women s Rights After WW2, many people assumed women would return to their traditional roles in the home. Those that worked received less pay than men. Pay equity legislation was passed in the 1950s, but in reality women still made less.
The Rights of the People The Women s Liberation Movement Feminists of the 1960s believed that society was set up to support men and that to get power, women had to seize it from men. Most women did not share this view. The Royal Commission on the Status of Women was struck in 1967 to ensure equality for women.
Canada at the Turn of the 1970 s While Canada had prospered throughout the 20 th century, and particularly after WW II. One author spoke about the vertical mosaic in Canada where the most privileged Canadians were of British ancestry, while native Canadians were at the bottom of the ladder.
Canada at the Turn of the 1970 s Various groups in Canada looked to address inequity in different ways. Unions worked to improve the rights and wages of workers. The National Council of Women in Canada promoted equality in the workplace. The Rowell-Sirois Report called on the Federal government to adopt equalization payments for provinces to balance tax revenue between haves and have nots jurisdictions (adopted in 1957).
Canada at the Turn of the 1970 s Social Security and Health Care After WW II the health of Canadians improved due to prosperity and better diets. Saskatchewan adopted a universal health care plan in the 1940 s that was adopted by all provinces and passed into law in 1966 (The Medical Care Insurance Act).